So, you may have noticed things have been a bit silent at The Maniacal Geek and That Girl with the Curls podcast for the past month. Honestly, ever since Emerald City Comicon, my personal life has changed dramatically in terms of priorities and an assessment of what I can realistically accomplish in the course of a single day. After some soul-searching, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that the writing aspect of The Maniacal Geek will have to be put on the back burner for the foreseeable future. Between my day job, home life, pop culture writing, podcast, and actual free moments, the pop culture writing is the easiest thing to let go for now.

Keeping up with the Joneses of comic book journalism, reviews, and op-eds is practically a full-time job in and of itself; one that I don’t get paid for and essentially do because I love comics and most of the community that surrounds the industry. Plus, I’m burnt out at the moment. Writing isn’t something I can easily pop in and out of – there’s planning, researching, thinking, and arguing with myself that takes place well before I start writing and even then it can take time to compose thoughts and arguments so I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about. In the long run, the podcast is easier to manage and allows me to express myself in a real-time conversation rather than over-analyzing every sentence committed to paper or screen. For funsies, try to guess how long this sentence took to actually write. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Or not. That’s not to say that I’m completely separating myself from writing or from the comics community. I still have some article ideas I want to write, but I have a greater need to focus on some ideas for short stories and novels that have been fighting for attention in my brain. At the moment, I’m more than happy to oblige them.

I’ve also recently taken a more hands on approach to the industry by becoming a part-time Event Coordinator for Outsider Comics and Geek Boutique in Fremont, Washington. Jill and Reagan Taplin are an amazing couple who’re setting out to be as involved with the local community as they are with nerds, geeks, and the comic book industry. I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to a lot of amazing people over the last few years, so whatever connections I can bring to the shop, I’m more than willing to exploit! HINT. HINT.

So there you have it. That Girl with the Curls will keep trucking along, but the Maniacal Geek is going to take a back seat, bit of a snooze, for the time being. Hopefully those of you who have stuck with me for the writing will carry on through the podcast, but if that’s not your thing, then no worries. Hopefully I’ll see you at the conventions or at one of Outsider Comics’ events!